Gun trigger lock



April 24, 1956 s, FELLER 2,742,726

GUN TRIGGER LOCK Filed April 10, 1953 INVENTOR. eosser s. FELL. 52,52.

United rates Patent GUN TRIGGER LOCK Robert.S. Feller, Venice, Calif.

Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 347,879

2 Claims. (Cl'. 427 0) This invention relates to gun trigger locks andmore particularly to a lock device which can be detachably locked to a.trigger guard to completely cover, the associatedtrigger and precludefiring of the gun while the lock device. is. in. place.

Itis among, theobjectsof the invention toprovide an improved. gun.trigger locking device which can be releasably I loaded gun withcomplete safety; and. which is simple and K1 durable in construction,reliable in use and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended. claims in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a fragmentary porti'ont of afirearm with a trigger locking device illustrative of theinventionsecured. tov the firearm in trigger locking relationship;

Figure 2 is a front-elevational view of the locking device andassociated portion of the gun as illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line 33 of Figure2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 44of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a perspective exploded view of the locking device with afragmentary portion of an associated firearm shown in side elevation.

With continued reference to the drawing, the portion of the firearmillustrated includes a frame having a lower edge, a trigger guard 11 ofannular shape secured to the frame 10 at the lower edge of the frame anddepending from the frame, and a trigger 12 mounted in and depending fromthe frame within the trigger guard The locking device of the presentinvention is generally indicated at 15 and comprises a hollow, metalhousing 16 open at one end and having spaced apart and substantiallyparallel front and side walls 17 and 18 each having a straight edge anda curved edge joined at its ends to the correspondingly opposite ends ofthe straight edge, and a side wall 19 extending around and marginallyjoined to the curved edges of the front and back walls of the housing,the end of the housing along the straight edges of the front and backwalls being open. The chamber 20 within the housing 16 is of a size toclosely receive the trigger guard 11 of the associated firearm so thatthe housing constitutes a receptacle receiving the trigger guard.

The. front wall 17. of the housing is somewhat thicker than the: rearwall 18.. and: is. provided with an opening22 therein of. generallyelliptical shape. The front. wall 1.7 is grooyed. or. rabbetedaround.the outer endofthe opening 22- to provide. inwardly of the outersurface. of the front wall 17 anannular shoulder 23.inthe.opening-,22,

A lock barrel 25,, alsoof. elliptical shape, is releasably received inthe opening 22'and has. at one endthereof an outwardly projecting,annular rib or flange. 26 providing at the inner side thereof an annularshoulder 27. which engages with the shoulder 23: in the opening 22 tolimit movement of the lock barrel= inwardly of the opening 22. The lockbarrel has a. length. that is somewhat greater than the thickness of thefront wall, 17 of the; housing; and is provided with an aperture 28:extending therethrough and rotatablyreceiving a. lock cylinder 29; The.lockbarrelis provided with spring pressed pin tumblers; 30 and thebarrel is provided with complementary tumblers 311. and witha key slot32 whichreceives. the. shank 33. of a. key 34 which key is effective toalign the pintumblers irr the lock barrel and the lock cylinder androtates the: cylinder in the barrel.

The'cylinder 29 projects. inwardly of the; barrel 25 perpendicular totheinner surface of. the; barrel and, when the housing 16% receives thetrigger guard 11 and the. lock barrel 25v is positioned in the: opening-22' in the front wall of' the housing; the end portion of the. lockcylinder-29 projecting inwardly: of the inner side: of the lock barrelextends partly across the space 2ll within the. housing and bears;against. the front side of the trigger 12. An: arm 35 is." mounted onthe inner end of the. cylinder 29' and! projects radially from the.cylinder for engagement with the side edge. of the trigger. 12 remotefrom the front wall 17 of thehousiiig 16, astillustrated' in Figure 4when the lock cylinder is in one rotational position in the lock' barrelcorresponding to the. locked position of't-he device, to precludewithdrawal of the lock barrel 25' from the opening 22* in the housingfront wall 17;

Pinsv 37 and 38 are secured in the lock barrel 25 m locations spaced:from: the lock cylinder 29 and from each other and project:perpendicularly from theinner side of the lock barrel partly across thespace within the housing 16. when the locking device isoperativelymounted on the trigger guard ofa-n' associated firearm andthesepins engage the rear side or face of the trigger 12 opposite thefront face engaged by the lock cylinder 29 at locations spaced apartalong the rear side or face of the trigger so that the pins 37 and 38together with the lock cylinder 29 positively hold the trigger againstmovement when the device is operatively locked to the firearm. The pin38 also bears against the inner side of the trigger guard 11 at alocation along the trigger guard remote from the frame 10 to positivelyhold the housing 16 on the trigger guard so that the lock device cannotbe removed from the trigger guard and from its locking engagementwiththe associated trigger until the lock barrel 25 is removed from thehousing 16 of the device.

The arrangement of the opening 22 in the front face of the housing andof the lock barrel 25 disposing the annular shoulders 23 and 27 inwardlyof the outer surface of the front wall 17 of the housing provides aconstruction which renders it practically impossible to remove the lockbarrel from the housing without the use of the proper key in the lock.

By completely enclosing the trigger guard and the trigger and byproviding a strong abutment pin positively bearing on the trigger guardin a manner to preclude withdrawal of the housing from the trigger guardexcept by unlocking the lock and removing the lock barrel from thehousing, a locking device is provided which effectively prevents the useof the firearm by an unauthorized person as the locking device cannot beremoved from the gun by any practical means without the use of theproper key. Also. bypositively locking the trigger against movement thelocking device renders the gun entirely safe to carry even though thegunis loaded.

' The invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is, therefore, to be'considered in all respects asillustrative and .not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the prising: a cupped, upwardly opening housingproportioned to receive the guard while engaging at its upper endagainst the frame, the housing having flat side walls spaced apart adistance substantially equal to the width' of the guard so as to engagesnugly against opposite sides of the guard, and a connecting Wallextending between the side walls and shaped as a segment of an annulusfor snug engagement of the connecting wall against the guard throughouttheir respective lengths, one of the side wall having an aperture; alock barrel removably engaged in the aperture and extending transverselywithin the housing inwardly from the apertured sidewall, the

barrel terminating at its other end short of the other side wall; a lockcylinder rotatable in the barrel and having a portion projecting beyondthe other end of the barrel but also terminating short of the other sidewall of the housing, the projecting lock cylinder portion engaging atits side against oneface of the trigger; a pin projecting from the otherend of the barrel close to and in parallelism with the cylinder andadapted to engage the opposite face of the trigger; and an arm extendingradially from and rotating with the cylinder, the arm in one position towhich the cylinder rotates engaging against one sideedge of the triggerto prevent movement of the barrel and cylinder laterally out of thehousing, and in a second position to which the cylinder rotates shiftingclear of the trigger to free the barrel and cylinder for bodily movement:in said direction out of the housing, the pin and cylinder preventingmovement of the trigger in a direction to discharge the firearm, thebarrel being spaced closely from the connecting wall at the lower end ofthe housing to engage the trigger guard between the barrel andconnecting wall and thereby prevent movement of the housing and barreldownwardly out of engagement with the trigger and guard.

2. A trigger lock for a firearm having a frame, an annular trigger guarddepending from the frame, and a trigger depending from the frame withinthe guard, comprising: a cupped, upwardly opening housing proportionedto receive the guard while engaging at its upper end against the frame,the housing having spaced side walls between which the guard is disposedand a connecting wall extending between the side walls and adapted toengage against the outer surface of the guard at a location below thetrigger, one side wall having an aperture; a lock barrel removablyinserted in the aperture and extending transversely within the housinginwardly from the apertured side wall, the inserted barrel engagingagainst the inner surface of the guard at said location to cooperatewith the connecting wall in preventing movement of the housingdownwardly off the guard; a lock cylinder rotatable in the barrels andhaving a portion projecting beyond the other end of the barrel, theprojecting lock cylinder portion engaging at its side against one faceof the trigger; a pin also projecting from the other end of the barrelclose to and in parallelism with the cylinder to engage the oppositeface of the trigger; and an arm extending radially from and rotatingWith the cylinder, the arm in one position to which the cylinder rotatesengaging against one side edge of the trigger, said other end of thebarrel engaging against the other side edge of the trigger, to pre ventmovement of the barrel and cylinder laterally in either direction withinthe housing, the arm in a second position to which the cylinder rotatesshifting clear of the trigger to free the barrel and cylinder for bodilymovement laterally out of the housing, the pin and cylinder preventingmovement of the trigger in a direction to discharge the firearm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

